Rocket to Insanity
by MarcelineFan
Summary: Screams echoed through the cloud palace of Rainbow Dash's home, the filly startled wide awake in a cold sweat, terror surging through her veins. Nightmares. Again. (I do not own this story!) Inspired by 'Cupcakes'. NOW WITH A SEQUEL WRITTEN BY ME!
1. Rocket to Insanity (Original)

**This is the link to the original (no spaces): blog. / jb/dt/ minecraft13/ 16917384 ?from=sortfull (I spaced out this version for an easier read. And remember, I DO NOT OWN THIS STORY!)**

**I remember reading this story on that website. I thought it was twisted and...just not right. But in a good way.**

**I'm sure you'll think the same thing.**

**So, without further a do, I give you...**

Rocket To Insanity

A Story Inspired by Sergeant Sprinkle's "Cupcakes" Fanfic

**WARNING**

**This work of fiction contains material that may be sensitive to some readers (murder, gore and death). Viewer discretion is advised.**

* * *

_"There is evil within the hearts of all ponies. Such is the balance of nature. Good can only be prevalent for so long before Evil musters its forces, and seizes upon the heart – twisting friendships into war, loyalty into deceit, and kindness into unadultered hate."_

_-Unknown Author, 622 B.L._

* * *

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! AAAAAAAAHH, AAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Screams echoed through the cloud palace of Rainbow Dash's home, the filly startled wide awake in a cold sweat, terror surging through her veins. Nightmares. Again. The seventh time this month. And it was always the same one. The one with the 'cupcakes'. Flashes of memory lanced through her head.

Wings being hacked off, then ripped from their sockets.

Needles plunged into her beating heart, adrenaline injected into her body to keep her awake and alert at the torture went on.

The smell of her own flesh cooking, the sight of her own blood and gore spilling from her surgically incised belly, the mastermind behind her terror toying with those glistening organs like they were party favors.

She knew in her heart that Pinkie-Pie would never be capable of doing such a gruesome act, but that thought didn't help to make the dreams any less vivid. The pegasus pony sobbed openly, curling up in her blanket and rocking back and forth as her body trembled with fear. She hadn't told anyone about the dreams. About the lingering feeling of steel piercing flesh and blade cutting bone. Her work had suffered because of the constant night terrors, the nightmares being so powerful that she was simply afraid of going back to sleep, some nights staying up altogether in an attempt to stave off the horrors for just one more night.

And everypony wondered why she spent most of her day napping, in the open, in the daylight. Because in the shining brilliance of the sun, it was the only way she could actually rest. But even then, the black clutches of her fear-addled subconscious had begun to creep even into that relative safety, following her through the dreaming world.

Dash whimpered as tears streaked down her face, staining the fur of her cheeks as wide eyes darted around the darkened scenery of her room, heart pounding in her chest as breath came before hiccuping sobs, her wings clinging tight against her form as paranoia began to clutch at the edges of her mind. Shadows lurched and moved in her peripheral vision, routine natural noises becoming distorted and echoing within her mind, as adrenaline surged through her shivering form.

This wasn't healthy. Her mind was slowly breaking under the horrors of her subconscious mind, things that nopony should ever even have the slightest thought about chipping away at her psyche.

She was starting to crack.

* * *

"Rainbow Dash? Rainbow Dash! Hey, has anypony seen Rainbow Dash around?"

Applejack trotted through the streets of Ponyville, looking high and low for the towns resident speedster pony. Bystanders just shook their head and shrugged.

"Horsefeathers! Figures that pony's nowhere t'be seen when you really need her!" The cowpony sighed and continued on through town, hoofbeats kicking up dust as she looked to the sky for the pegasus pony. "Consarnit! Rainbow Dash, where in the wild world of Equestria are you?!"

A long yawn from the branches of a tree behind her met her answer, the pony in question dipping a head down and gazing at Applejack from an upside-down position. "Nhf. What, Applejack? What is it that is so important that you've got to interrupt my napping?"

The western pony stamped a hoof on the ground, scowling at the pegasus. "Now you know just why I'm making a fuss in findin' you! You said you were gonna bring over a little rainstorm for the crops at Sweet Apple Acres nearly two hours ago! Instead I find you out here, in a tree, snoozin' your little behind off!"

Dash gave a groan, slipping out of the tree and landing on her hooves, shaking her head. She looked more disheveled than usual, her mane a mess, dark bags under her eyes from many a sleepless night. She looked pale, sickly almost, yet still tried to put on an air of cheerfulness.. She heaved a yawn before giving a dismissive wave to Applejack.

"Yeah yeah...keep yer saddle on...*yawn*...I'll get to it right now...sorry 'n stuff." As the pegasus pony turned and spread her wings to take off, Applejack tilted her head to the side and gave a little frown.

"Uh, Dash? You feelin' okay? You look a little...aheh...under the weather." Dash grumped, shrugging her shoulders as she gave her wings a little test flap.

"M'fine." Was the only response from the pegasus.

The cowpony behind her stepped forward, giving Dash's side a little nudge with her snout. "You sure about tha-" She was cut off by the Pegasus suddenly jerking away from Applejack, darting up into the air as her eyes went wide.

"DON'T...don't...touch me. I'm fine...honest. Just..." She nearly spilled the beans right then and there...but refrained. She couldn't take the chance that the other pony might think different of her because she was being scared out of her mind every night by some stupid nightmare.

Her body gave a little shiver, as Applejack looked on with concern. "I uh...I mean...uh...gottago!"

Before Applejack could say anything further, Dash was off like a rocket towards Sweet Apple Acres, leaving the cowpony to just scratch her head in confusion. "...That girl ain't right..."

* * *

Another terror-filled night.

Dash lay curled upon the floor of her cloud house, blankets swathed around her shivering form. It was worse this time.

She had been flayed open, set upon the dining table of the pink earth pony, as slabs of her own meat, dripping with her life fluids was sheared from her flanks, served to all of her friends – Herself still somehow alive enough to be aware of the entire situation. Hearing the laughter as they devoured her living form, as fork and knife dug into her innards, tearing her apart. She was nothing more than a slab of meat for her friends enjoyment.

Hiccups punctured through heavy sobs as the pegasus pony clutched at her head, the visions that her nightmares had been visiting upon her ingrained within her memory. Every horrible detail, from the fiery pain of rended flesh to the sickening sound of innards being torn and ripped out of her belly was cast in vivid depiction. She whined as she lay curled tightly upon the floor, sniffling as tears gushed from her eyes.

"Just leave me alone...why wont you leave me alone..." She hiccuped, rocking back and forth. "I don't deserve this, just stay out, stay out of my head, get out of my head please just get out of my head!" Fear turned to anger, Dash beating her hoofs against her temples.

"Get out get out get out GET OUT GET _OUT_!" She weeped openly, grinding her forehead against the floor of her room, hoofs pounding and pounding at her head, bruising the flesh as pent up frustration and sleep deprivation erupted in an agonized scream of rage and sorrow.

Another night. Another crack in the window.

* * *

Everypony had noticed it. It was in the way she walked. The way she talked. Her body language just screamed it. Gone was Rainbow Dash, that cheerful, brash speedster, replaced by...some hollow shell.

She drifted aimlessly about over Ponyville, as weeks of interrupted sleep had taken its toll upon her. All of her friends knew that something was up, but none of them knew exactly what to do. She had pushed them away when they had tried to confront her, lashing out like a wounded animal any time they tried to console her or plead her to get help. "Too headstrong" some would say. "Too proud" others still. But none of them realized the gravity of the situation until that one, fateful day.

The day that Rainbow Dash finally snapped.

It had been an unseasonably warm spring day in Ponyville. Everypony was out enjoying the temperate weather, from foals to colts and then some, as everypony went about their business. Lyra and Bon-Bon chatting it up beneath their usual table at the cafe. Applejack selling the first harvest from Sweet Apple Acres, as ponies lined up for those ruby delectables. And within the Candy Corner, Pinkie-Pie was busy darting to and fro in the kitchen, baking up a storm.

She glanced at the clock every now and then, frowning each time before the bell to the door finally rang open, a haggard looking Rainbow Dash entering the shop.

"Rainbow! You're finally here! Oh I've been so worried about you! You've been all mopesy-dopesy so I thought I'd ask you to come visit me so I could make you feel extra-super-special and cheer you up! But then you didn't show up when I thought you were going to and I was all sad that you were going to stay cooped up in your house all day but then you came in and now you're here and now we can have some fun!"

Dash merely looked at her blankly, before shaking her head and stumbling forward. "Whatever, Pinkie. What did you want me here for?"

The energetic earth pony bounced about the kitchen, over towards one of the many ovens of the Candy Corner before pulling the door down, reaching in and pulling out a tray of puffy, fluffy cupcakes with a generous slathering of icing upon them. She spun around, grinning widely as she showed the baked goods off to Dash.

"I made you cupcakes!"

Dash paled. Mind flashed back to the earliest of those nightmares. The most vivid. The most intense.

A tray of cupcakes.

Tasting it.

Finding motor skills rapidly deteriorating, stumbling as her body shut down under the effects of some unknown drug.

Pinkie-Pie looming over her with that trademark grin, eyes gleaming as the world dimmed around her.

And here it was.

Happening for real.

Vision became hazed as the world began to spin around her, the pegasus stumbling back and shaking her head, whispering under her breath.

"No...no...nonononononoNONONO_NO_!" She backed up, eyes wide with fear as she shook her head violently, looking around frantically for a way out, any way out. The window? The door?

"N-no...no, I don't want 'em. Not gonna l-let you...lemme out of here, LET ME_ OUT OF HERE_!" Pinkie merely tilted her head to the side quizzically, setting the tray down and lifting a few of the cakes out and plating them, bouncing over to the shivering Rainbow Dash and offering the plate to the pegasus. Dash stared at them.

They were the same color. Same kind.

_Run._ A voice in her head said. _Run, run you idiot, RUN._

A hoof lashed out, smacking the plate out of Pinkie-Pie's hooves. "I SAID I DON'T WANT THEM! I know what you're doing, it's not going to work!"

Pinkie-Pie frowned at the discarded cupcakes, but in typical Pinkie fashion she just shrugged and went about cleaning them out, humming to herself. "Maybe you don't like avocado icing? That's okay! I made plenty more so we can make some to your liking! Is that okay, Rainbow? Dash?"

She glanced back, the pegasus pony letting out panicked whimpering noises, eyes fixated on the pony before her, pupils nearly pinpricks as fear and adrenaline coursed through her veins. She was pinned between Pinkie and the wall behind her, chest heaving with heavy gasps, her sleep deprived, horror filled mind played the scene from her nightmares over and over again.

Of the saw rending through flesh, cutting through bone.

_ Run._

"Get away..."

Scalpel piercing her breast, dragging through her flesh down to her groin, flaying her open like some sick sort of pinata.

_ Move._

"...just get away, getawaygetaway..." She was hyperventilating by now, no longer seeing a long-time friend, but a horrific, sadistic butcher.

_DO SOMETHING._

And then she saw it. That shining, sharp protector, just sitting there on the table next to her. The voice within her mind whispered to her like a seductive lover, sounding so wrong but so right at the same time.

_Kill her._

Dash hesitated. Part of her wanted to scream. Another, to run. But yet another, considered the request.

_ Kill her. Before she kills you._

Her mind was a maelstrom of conflicting thoughts, the pegasus feeling sick to her stomach, weak in the knees, the beat of her own heart pounding within her head.

_Take the knife._

She stared at it. Hoof slowly stretching out, trembling as part of her still warred, still tried to reason.

_Take it. Take. The knife._

Tears streamed down her face, as her hoof hovered above the handle of the tool turned weapon, as if the last frayed strands of her sanity knew what was happening, knew that it was fighting a battle it was going to lose.

_TAKE IT._

She snatched it up, holding it in front of her at Pinkie-Pie with shaky hooves, her ears splayed back against her head, hiccuping between sobs. "Just leave me alone...please, Pinkie-Pie...just _*hic*_ leave me alone!"

Pinkie-Pie looked at the knife being wielded by her friend for a moment, before giggling and bouncing over towards Dash, whose heart sank as the filly rapidly approached. "Oh Dash, you silly filly! You got me good with that one! Never one to turn down an opportunity to prank, hu-"

She didn't think. Her body acting on its own.

A gasp, Pinkie-Pie looking thunderstruck as Dash heaved, frozen in mid-strike, the silvery blade of the knife dripping with red ichor. Pinkie-pie brought a hoof up to her cheek, dabbing at the wide cut, looking at her own blood stained hoof. "D-dash...wh-..."

"I told you _*hic*_ to stay away...WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST STAY AWAY!?"

_Kill her._

"N-no, she's my f-friend...I c-can't...I...I"

_KILL her...and the hurting will stop._

"P-please...P-pinkie...run...just run...oh god, _PLEASE_ don't make me do this!"

_KILL HER. KILL HER KILL HER KILL HER KILLHERKILLHERKILLHE-_

What happened next was a blur, the memories fuzzy in Dash's mind. As Pinkie-Pie tried to make sense of the sudden attack upon her person, Dash let out a chilling mix between a wail and a scream, catching the earth pony off-guard as the blade darted forward, slashing through her neck, severing vein and artery as a gout of crimson issued forth from the wound. Shock and surprise registered on Pinkie-Pie's face as she gurgled, blood hemorrhaging from that wound, staining her pink fur with the red hue of her life essence.

Again and again that silver blade struck out, Dash's speed not restricted to her flight as she plunged that blade into the filly before at rapid pace, sobbing hysterically as she carved the squirming and flailing filly up. Through breast, through bone, Pinkie-Pie's struggles slowly faded as her blood was spilt onto the floor of the Candy Corner's kitchen, pooling around her, splattering the pegasus atop her with that hot red fluid.

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" She screamed out, fear turning to rage. "YOU COULDN'T JUST GO AWAY, COULD YOU?! YOU HAD TO KEEP COMING BACK!"

Pinkie's struggles grew weaker and weaker, her eyes wide with terror as tears streamed down her face, visage frozen in a mix of fear and anguish. What did she do? Was it the icing? Did she use salt instead of sugar? Why?

As those slowly glazing eyes stared up at Dash, the strikes of the blade grew slower and slower, the pegasus finally plunging the implement deep into Pinkie's chest, spearing through the filly's heart, ending her party once and for all.

Dash heaved for breath, limbs shaking as she looking down upon her handiwork. Blood stained her fur and feathers, painting her a deep crimson, wearing the life force of her former friend like some macabre outfit.

She sobbed, letting out a wail of anguish as she realized the gravity of what she had just done. Arms wrapped around the butchered filly, Dash holding the still warm corpse of her friend tight. "No..nononoNONONO! I didn't...oh Celestia, no...what have I done?! WHAT DID I DO!?"

Dash's body shook as her chest heaved with each gut-wrenching cry of anguish, suddenly letting go of Pinkie's body and letting out a ear-piercing shriek of terror as she looked at her own hooves. Blood and viscera coated them, dripping down through her fur, the scene straight from a horror movie laid before her eyes.

She skittered backwards, slipping in the pool of blood of her own creation, slamming cheekfirst into the pile of gore before finally gaining purchase and dragging herself over against the farthest wall from Pinkie's still form, her stomach mutinying on her as she emptied its contents upon the floor next to her.

Her mind raced, thoughts running a mile a minute as she hiccuped, wide, terror filled eyes staring at the scene made by her own hoof.

Murder.

She had committed murder.

On one of her own friends.

It was unheard of. Nopony had murdered another in hundreds of years. Voices within her mind clawed and whispered to her, the world spinning around her as time seemed to stand still for her, the last vestiges of her sanity being plucked apart, one by one...until that final thread finally snapped.

Hooves grasped at her head, matting her rainbow-colored mane down with blood and ichor, the pegasus rocking back and forth in the blooded kitchen as a crazed grin spread across her muzzle, humming disjointedly to herself.

"...g-giggle at the ghastly...heehee...s-snortle at the spoo_OO_ooky...haha...heheheeheeeehaha! HAHAH! AHAHAHAHA! _HAAAAAAAA_HAHAHA!"

Dash threw her head back, curling legs against her chest as forelimbs wrapped around them, psychotic laughter issuing forth from the speedster pegasus as her world shattered around her, psyche and spirit broken and splintered.

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed this story, and remember...giggle at the ghastly...he he...**


	2. Return to Sanity (My Sequel)

**This is my sequel to Rocket to Insanity (which I do not own). The link to the original is in the previous chapter.**

**I tried to give my sequel the same...ominous feel as the original. It probably sucks, but hey, I tried.**

**So, without further ado, I give you...**

Return of Sanity

A Sequel to the Original 'Rocket to Insanity' Fanfic

* * *

_It's an insane world, but in it there is one sanity; the loyalty of old friends._

_-Stephen Boyd_

* * *

Bright, vibrant hues. Balloons of all shapes and sizes. The most eccentric clothing any pony could think of. It wasn't the most ideal setting for a funeral, but for the inhabitants of Ponyville, it was a sign of respect for their number one party pony.

"My fellow citizens," a depressed voice said from the podium next to the closed pink coffin. Twilight Sparkle. "We have gathered here today to honor the life of..." The alicorn swallowed the lump in her throat. "...P-Pinkie Pie."

The ponies in the audience quietly shed their tears once again. The closest friends to Pinkie Pie sat in the front row, each mourning their friend's unexpected passing; Spike holding Rarity as she sobbed, and Applejack hugging a bawling Fluttershy as she struggled, but failed, to keep herself together. Rainbow Dash, however, sat farther away from her friends, staring towards who-knows-what, silently letting her tears flow down her cheek and drip on the floor.

"Pinkie Pie was a mare who could cheer any pony up, no matter how depressed they were or how bad their day was," Twilight continued, glancing at the casket every now and then. "She was like a walking ray of sunshine, a friend to every pony she met." She smiled slightly at the memories of her pink pony friend, but that smile was quickly replaced with a hateful grimace.

"Despite these claims, someone, a heartless monster..." Twilight shed more tears as she spoke. "..._murdered _her in cold blood."

That sentence made Rainbow Dash's body twinge momentarily. She still remembered that awful, gory experience... the blood, so much blood...the heartbroken look in her friend's eyes as her life was taken away from her...and she just hid in the basement like a coward until the body was found...

"But fear not, citizens of Ponyville, for one day, very soon, this killer will be brought to _justice_!" Twilight slammed her hoof on the podium. "Then, and only then, will we truly be able to live in peace once more."

Rainbow Dash sucked her lips in, and darted her eyes in every direction. If her friends discovered her secret...then they would never forgive her...she'd be banished or even...executed...even though she deserved it...

"Until that day comes, let us not spend our days mourning over our loss," Twilight said in determination. "But instead, we should celebrate Pinkie Pie and cherish our memories of her, for as long as she is in our minds and hearts, she will never truly be gone."

The ponies clacked their hooves together, finding some relief and comfort in the alicorn's heartfelt words. As the ponies got up and began moving around, Rainbow Dash quietly pulled herself out of her seat and strolled past her friends. Applejack glanced at her friend and furrowed her brows in concern. The earth followed closely behind her friend, easily catching up to her due to the slow pace she walked at.

"Hey...Rainbow Dash?"

The pegasus stopped in her tracks and looked to her friend. Applejack found that Rainbow Dash's emotionless expression was a bit unnerving, but in those rose-colored eyes, she could see emotions of despair and...guilt?

"Look sugarcube, I know you were the closest ta Pinkie Pie out of all of us, so I can imagine that yer hurtin' a lot."

Rainbow Dash furrowed her brows and glanced off to the side. Applejack put her hoof on her friend's chin and tilted the pegasus's head back to her.

"But what you need ta know is that we all know how ya feel," Applejack said with a warm smile and removed her hoof. "We may have lost one friend, but we still have each other. No matter what, we'll always be there for you, just as you'll be there for us. Don't ever forget that, ya hear?"

Rainbow Dash hesitated, but she finally did something she hadn't done in a while; she smiled. For the the first time since the incident, she felt...happy. No crushing guilt weighing her heart down, no fear of what she had become, just...peace.

"Thanks, Applejack," the pegasus said and threw her forelegs around Applejack. "I haven't forgotten. I guess I just needed my best friend to remind me."

The earth pony, while initially startled by the sudden display of affection, smiled and returned the gesture. "Anytime, sugarcube."

* * *

"N-NO, GET AWAY FROM ME! STOP! AAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Rainbow Dash shot up out of her cloud bed, tears staining her fur, her breathing unsteady and her face drenched in sweat. The nightmares had come back after the incident, but not the ones from before. These were much, much worse.

_The memory where she repeatedly stabbed Pinkie Pie in the chest played over and over in her head. But instead of being the one to plunge the knife into her friend's body, Rainbow Dash was forced to watch herself perform the gruesome act, literally unable to stop herself. She shouted at the doppelganger to stop, but to no avail._

_When the other Rainbow Dash shoved the blade into Pinkie Pie's heart, instead of looking at her blood-stained hooves in horror, an almost demonic grin of razor sharp teeth spread across her face. Everything turned an ominous black and white The doppelganger looked at the original Rainbow Dash with bloodshot eyes, striking fear through the original's heart._

_"You did this..." the doppelganger growled. "This is all your fault..."_

_The real Rainbow Dash shed her tears of remorse and fear. "Y-you made me do it!" she screamed. "I didn't w-want to!"_

_"She's dead because of you...you're a _monster_..." The doppelganger yanked the knife out of the bloody corpse with a sickening _splat_ and made her way towards the real Rainbow Dash._

_Rainbow Dash tried to back away from the demonic version of her, but her hooves seemed to be glued to the floor. "N-no! Get away from me! Stop!"_

_The doppelganger did no such thing, and as she stood above the real Rainbow Dash, she lifted the bloody knife high in the air. "And monsters _don't deserve to LIVE!"

Right before the blade could even pierce her chest, Rainbow Dash always screamed and woke up in a cold sweat.

The poor pegasus curled into the smallest ball she could and clutched her head tightly. She clenched her eyelids shut, but that didn't help matters.

"Why won't you leave me alone?" Rainbow Dash whispered. "You've already taken my friend, now you're taking my sanity too!? Just go _away_!"

Rainbow Dash knew she was losing her sanity. The monster inside would just consume her until there was nothing left but a hollow, bloodthirsty killer. And the worst part was there was no one there to save her from her impending doom.

Her eyes shot open, and there was a glimmer of hope in them as she remembered what Applejack had told her.

_No matter what, we'll always be there for you..._

Her friends. Applejack reminded her that her friends would always be there for her. The pegasus was never truly alone. If that was true, then they would be able to help her defeat this demon trying to take over her mind.

Rainbow Dash smiled genuinely once more and sat up in a flash. Just as she was thinking up a way to explain to her friends what was going on, another thought wiped the smile off her face.

She had to tell her friends that she was the one responsible for Pinkie Pie's death.

If she did tell, there was the chance that they'd despise her, and she'd be stuck with this monster and the nightmares for the rest of her life. But it was the one thing the pegasus was sure would save her. She had to take a chance. Rainbow Dash gulped nervously.

She could only pray that her friends would understand.

* * *

Twilight flew through the air next to Fluttershy, keeping an eye out for Rainbow Dash's cloud house. The pegasus had told her that all of their friends would meet under the cloud palace at high noon, and judging by the way Rainbow Dash told her, Twilight figured it was important.

"What do you think Rainbow's planning, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked curiously.

"I don't know, Fluttershy, but it sounds important," Twilight replied. "I guess we'll have to wait and see."

The alicorn and the pegasus noticed the cloud palace gradually getting closer to them and soon landed in the area underneath the building. Not too long after, Rarity and Applejack trotted up to the pair. After exchanging greetings, Fluttershy volunteered to get Rainbow Dash out of her house, and the remaining three discussed their theories about the impromptu meeting.

"Well, when Rainbow Dash came ta Sweet Apple Acres, I noticed that she seemed a bit...spaced out," Applejack said.

"I know. She seemed so distracted," Twilight added. "Like she was-"

"-in deep thought about something?" Rarity finished.

"Exactly! Maybe she's just thinking about...Pinkie."

"Maybe," Rarity said. "But remember before all this happened? She was distant, and seemed so...lifeless. No matter what we did, she just wouldn't tell us what was wrong."

"Oh yeah!" Applejack exclaimed. "Maybe that has somethin' ta do wit this?"

Before any pony could answer, they suddenly heard a voice from above.

"Hey guys!"

The three ponies looked up to see Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy coming down. The ponies greeted her as she and Fluttershy eventually landed in the middle of the group.

"Thanks for coming on such short notice," Rainbow Dash said gratefully.

"Of course!" Applejack exclaimed. "What are friends for?"

Rainbow Dash smiled. She was so lucky to have such caring friends. Then the pegasus furrowed her brows as a serious expression appeared on her face.

"What's wrong, Rainbow Dash?" Fluttershy asked in concern.

Rainbow Dash fought back the urge to cry as she turned away from her friends. "I...I've been keeping a secret from you guys."

The ponies exchanged worried glances.

"The reason I've been keeping this secret is because I didn't want you to...hate me."

"Rainbow, darling!" Rarity said in shock. "We're you're friends! We'd never hate you!"

Rainbow Dash spun around, tears welling up in her eyes. "But I deserve it," she whimpered. "What I did was awful, unforgivable!" The pegasus's ears drooped as she looked to the ground. "I can never undo it..."

Twilight furrowed her brows. "Rainbow Dash...what did you do?"

Rainbow Dash sat on her rump and clenched her eyes shut. "I...I..." The pegasus could no longer hold it in. "IT WAS ME! I DID IT!" She let the tears flow freely as she collapsed to the ground in a shaking, sobbing heap. "I KILLED HER!"

The ponies gasped in horror. They couldn't believe that their friend killed a pony.

"Rainbow Dash, who did you-?" Twilight began to ask, but her pupils shrunk as it clicked in her head. "W-wait...you don't mean..."

"I KILLED PINKIE PIE!"

As Rainbow Dash continued bawling, the information processed in the ponies' minds. They couldn't believe their ears.

Fluttershy began sobbing uncontrollably, Rarity backed away in horror, and Applejack furrowed her brows in anger as she gritted her teeth together and blew puffs of smoke out of her nose. She then galloped towards the broken pegasus.

"YOU DID WHAT!? WHY I OUGHTA-!" The earth pony unwillingly froze in her tracks as she felt something strong pull on her tail. She looked back to see that her tail was held in a magneta glow.

"Applejack, wait," Twilight said sternly.

"Twilight, let me go."

"Applejack..."

"Twilight, she-!"

"_Wait._"

Applejack was about to shout at her alicorn friend, but the serious look on Twilight's face shut her up. The earth pony just blew more puffs of smoke out of her nose and grumbled. Twilight looked at Rainbow Dash, who was now facing the other direction, and calmly trotted towards her. She was understandably angry at the pegasus, but she was a pony of reason and sympathy.

Once she stood behind Rainbow Dash, Twilight was silent for a few moments before speaking up.

"Rainbow Dash."

The pegasus flinched at the ice cold tone in the alicorn's voice. She knew what was going to happen...she just didn't expect it to hurt so much, seeing her friends so distressed because of her.

"Turn around."

Rainbow Dash reluctantly stood up and turned her body to face the alicorn, but she kept her head down. No matter how furious she was with Rainbow Dash, it still hurt Twilight to see her so...vulnerable.

"Rainbow, look at me."

The pegasus closed her eyes and furrowed her brows. "I...I can't..."

"_Look at me_."

Rainbow Dash forced herself to look up at her friend, and she looked into those purple eyes. They were full of confusion and sorrow. Rainbow Dash flinched once more when Twilight reached a foreleg out to the pegasus. She closed her eyes, prepared for a well-deserved slap in the face...but was surprised to feel a comforting hoof on her shoulder. Rainbow looked at her friend in shock and puzzlement.

"Why, Rainbow? Why would you do such a thing?"

Rainbow Dash was on the verge of breaking down again as she remembered the horrible nightmares about the cupcakes. But she had no more tears to shed. Now was the time for explanation.

"It...it was the nightmares..." the pegasus murmured. Twilight furrowed her brows in curiosity. "Oh Celestia, the nightmares...every night I'd dream about Pinkie Pie, giving me a cupcake that ended up making me faint. Then I'd wake up unable to move, and she'd be wearing a dress made of pony skin. Then she'd start chopping off my wings. It was unbearable. She'd torture me and slice me open, treating it all like it was a _joke_. Then she'd make my flesh into _cupcakes_. In one dream you were all eating the flesh in my body, and I was forced to watch you do it. One day I just couldn't take it anymore. Pinkie gave me cupcakes that looked just like the one in the dream and I freaked out. I couldn't control myself. A voice in my head told me to kill her, and that's exactly what I did."

Twilight's eyes widened as she forced herself to keep her jaw from dropping. All of her anger was replaced with pity and shock. She had no idea that nightmares could affect somepony so badly.

"I can still understand if you decide to hate me..." Rainbow Dash whispered and looked off to the side. "A monster like me doesn't deserve friends..."

The other three ponies had heard the pegasus's explanation and slowly began to develop a sense of sympathy for her. Twilight released Applejack's tail, but the earth pony didn't run towards Rainbow Dash in a fit of rage. The ponies glanced at each other, each with a guilty expression on their face for not giving Rainbow Dash a chance to explain herself before reacting.

All four ponies smiled and walked towards their distraught friend. Rainbow Dash looked around in surprise as her friends crowded her with warm smiles and gave her a huge bear hug.

"Oh, Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy exclaimed. "We had no idea you were going through so much distress!"

"I wish we coulda done somethin' earlier," Applejack added.

"We hope you're not too traumatized by your dreadful experience!" Rarity said hopefully.

"We still care about you, and have nothing against you for doing something you couldn't control," Twilight assured wholeheartedly.

Rainbow Dash gave the biggest grin and hugged her friends back. She was absolutely overjoyed that her friends completely understood her situation and the reason behind her actions. It was as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulder.

"Thanks, guys," the pegasus said with tears of happiness welling up in her eyes. "I'm so lucky to have friends like you."

As the five friends enjoyed the moment of peace, a sudden flash of white light caught all their attention. They covered their eyes with their forelegs as the light got brighter, then disappeared completely. The second the confused ponies opened their eyes, they gasped. They couldn't believe who was standing in front of them.

It was Pinkie Pie, but her body was an ethereal transparent instead of solid. She bounced in the air towards the group of friends.

"Girls! You have _no _idea how glad I am to talk to you again!"

As the other four ponies' jaws dropped in awe, Rainbow Dash's eyes welled up with tears of sorrow.

"Hey, Dashie?" Pinkie Pie asked worriedly. "What's wrong?"

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes. "P-Pinkie Pie...I'm sorry, for everything."

The deceased earth pony smiled once more. "Oh, Dashie! You have nothing to apologize for!"

The pegasus shook her head. "B-but I...killed you! You must hate me now!"

Pinkie Pie put her hoof on Rainbow Dash's chin and tilted her head up. "Rainbow, I could never hate you." Then she removed her hoof. "Besides, I heard everything!"

The pegasus's eyes widened in awe. "Y-you mean...you were here the whole time?"

"Yup! As a matter of fact, I haven't left your side at all! In order to move on to Elysium, I had to figure out why I died. Thanks to you, I can now have eternal life!"

Rainbow Dash smiled to herself. "That's awesome."

"Yeah, but I wish you could come too. It just wouldn't be the same without you!"

The pegasus chuckled. "Same here." Then she had a hopeful look in her eyes. "So...do you forgive me?"

Pinkie Pie gave a sincere smile and hugged her friend. "Of course."

Rainbow Dash hugged the ghost pony with all her heart. Then Pinkie Pie let go and walked backwards. She closed her eyes peacefully, and her hair began floating gracefully. As the light appeared once more, Pinkie Pie shouted one final thing.

"Goodbye, everypony! See you in Elysium!"

The ponies waved goodbye, and as the light vanished once more, so did Pinkie Pie. The ponies smiled and stared at the place that their old friend once stood.

"Do you think she'll be happy?" Twilight asked.

"Of course," Rainbow Dash replied. "She's always happy."

* * *

When Twilight told the citizens of Ponyville who the killer was, they were understandably infuriated. But once she explained the horrors that nearly caused Rainbow Dash to lose her sanity, the ponies calmed down, and some even forgave the pegasus. Even though it took the rest a little more time to forgive Rainbow Dash, they eventually came around.

Now, Rainbow Dash trotted through town, enjoying the beautiful day. She breathed in the crisp spring air and sighed in content. Then a voice caught her attention.

"Excuse me, ma'am?"

The pegasus stopped in her tracks and turned to see a white pegasus mare with blonde hair, light purple eyes, and multiple purple balloons for a cutie mark. Besides the wings and color scheme, she was the spitting image of Pinkie Pie.

"My name's Surprise," the mare said. "I just moved here from Manehattan. I'm looking for a 'Carousel Boutique'. I heard the designer is spectacular and would like her to make my friend a wedding dress. Uh, ma'am? Are you okay?"

Rainbow Dash's eyes were starting to water with tears of happiness and she smiled. "Uh, yeah. I'm just fine," she said, and it was the truth. "I know where Carousel Boutique is. My friend owns it. Follow me."

Surprise smiled and followed closely behind the other pegasus. "Thank you, ma'am Say, what's your name?"

Rainbow Dash looked at her acquaintance with a grin. "It's Rainbow Dash."

* * *

**Well, there goes my written-in-a-day sequel to 'Rocket to Insanity'. I hope you all enjoyed it!**


End file.
